LucWise

I'm not sure if this has already been figured out or discussed but I decided to try the Priceline iPhone app to make a bid for a car rental. The taxes and fees looked really low to me on the app, so I compared it by trying a bid on my computer as well. The taxes and fees on the computer were $22 more than on the iPhone app for the same bid price, same car style. Of course, I bid on my phone and got the car for $22 less thanks to the difference in taxes and fees. Just a heads up for anyone else who might want to try this and save money. Not sure if it's a glitch or what.

lougord99

seems unlikely to be a regular savings.

LucWise

I agree, it does seem unlikely to be a regular savings. However, it saved me money and I thought it might save others some as well at least in the short term.

itsme

When you bid for a car rental, you are just saying what you are willing to pay in daily "base," aren't you, with the taxes and fees outside the scope of the bidding as such? (Do the taxes usually vary with the amount paid for the rental itself, that is the "base" rate? They aren't set like the various fees are, so the lower the base rate one gets the car for, the less they will pay in taxes and fees too?)

I have bid for cars before through Priceline and been happy with the outcome, but I always approach it with some trepidation, fearing that I will get it wrong and wind up stuck with a deal I did not intend. It would certainly be helpful if Priceline did a better job of explaining the blind bidding process.

Neither Hotwire, nor other rental bookers have a bidding feature like Priceline's do they? Is it possible to do better than Priceline without coupons or codes?

Sheryl

The full amount displays before you enter your credit card so there are no surprises. Priceline has a patent on Name Your Own Price.

Yes, sometimes it's possible to get a better price with coupons but not always.

itsme

Thanks. I didn't recall that one saw the total price, taxes and fees, before the bid is submitted.

As for that patent, I do recall sometime back reading about how the owner of PL wanted to sell, but didn't get his price, and a good part of the value was in the patent(s). Does that patent give him/them a lock on this bidding thing?

Sheryl

By owner, you must mean a stockholder or the founder because Priceline is a public company. There is no single owner.

As to your second question, pretty much yes. About 10 years ago, Priceline sued Expedia for violating their patent and Priceline won. That's pretty much why Hotwire doesn't offer bidding. And coincidentally, Expedia now owns Hotwire although they didn't at the time of the lawsuit.

B1

Jay Walker, through his company Walker Digital, was the original patent holder and the founder of Priceline, along with backers that included George Soros. The patent is part of the company's assets. Walker and his company (that does inventions-oriented research) are no longer associated with Priceline and the patent has stayed with Priceline.